He said Android devices are the kind of phones that are given as free replacements to feature phones, and that the iPhone offers a more seamless experience

Samsung's hardware and Google's Android operating system have become the peanut butter and jelly of the tech world -- they're a great fit, and it looks like this popularity is starting to make Apple nervous.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, told The Wall Street Journal today that the iPhone is better than any Android-powered phone in terms of both hardware and software, and that iPhone users are happier with their devices than Android users.

Schiller said that four times as many iPhone users switched from an Android device in the fourth quarter in 2012 than the other way around. He also mentioned a survey from ChangeWave, which stated that three-quarters of iPhone users say they're "very satisfied" with their experience while only half of Android users say the same.

Schiller's rant didn't end there. He said that Android's fragmentation was "plain and simple" and that Android-powered devices are the kinds of phones that are given as free replacements to feature phones.

Schiller added that the iOS experience on an iPhone is much more smooth than that of an Android phone because Apple is responsible for both the hardware (iPhone) and operating system (iOS).

Apple's Phil Schiller

"When you take an Android device out of the box, you have to sign up to nine accounts with different vendors to get the experience iOS comes with," Schiller said. "They don't work seamlessly together."

He then took a more hardware-directed hit, saying that no other Android smartphone screen compares to that of the iPhone 5's.

"Given the iPhone 5 is so thin and light, the reason that people are making their devices bigger is to get up to the battery life the iPhone 5 offers," Schiller said.

The Samsung Galaxy S III was a wildly-popular Android phone, and with the added specs of the Galaxy S IV, Apple is likely feeling nervous about its own popularity in the market.

Apple has hard a hard time keeping up the momentum of its products, and it shows in the company's shares. Shares have fallen from $702.10 in September to $428.35 as of today. Also, Apple's iPhone only represented about 19 percent of worldwide smartphone shipments in 2012 while all Android-powered smartphones accounted for about 70 percent.

Android will even beat Apple in the tablet sector this year, according to a new report from IDC. According to IDC, iPad shipments are expected to make up 46 percent of the tablet market for 2013, down from 51 percent in 2012. Android-powered tablets are expected to increase their market share to 49 percent in 2013, up from 42 percent in 2012.

Apple and Google are even branching out to another competitive realm in mobile electronics: wearable technology. Google is now offering its Google Glass headset (which is an augmented reality device) for $1,500 to early adopters and Apple is developing a smart watch, which could be released as early as this year.

Don't forget removable battery and NFC (which I use almost daily for either gas, tobacco, shopping at Target, Home Depot or even McDonalds...)

The S4 will also, as usual, cost less than the iPhone equivalent.

I also have to state that TO DATE, iOS doesn't even have widgets for the home screen. You have to go into an app to do anything. I honestly don't see how iOS is any more advanced than Blackberry OS5 from 2007 in regards to its UI (which also hasn't changed since 2007)

Are you that ignorant you think GHZ determines how good a processor is, or even that processor performance alone determines the performance of combined hardware and software?

The display and screen - fine, if you don't ever want to use your phone 1 handed, and are happy that the device has to be much bigger in every dimension to accommodate the larger battery.

Battery - larger battery required just to match the battery life of the much more efficient iPhone 5.

With all of the above, however, you have to realise that this S4 is coming out 2/3 of a year AFTER the iPhone 5, with the iPhone 5S just 1/3 of a year away. How long do you believe Samsung will hold the performance lead (assuming they take it this time, unlike what happened with the SG3)?

Agreed alot of specs dont matter. Both SOC's are plenty fast as are any high end phone from 2012. But there are some that do matter, like the screen size, res, DPI. Would you prefer a missing features list?

I was just pointing out the obvious there, but really, isnt it above Apple to act like a basement nerd on the internet like you Tony and try and detract from the competitions release with ridiculous comments? I mean we see that from you, but your not the head of marketing at Apple, you are just some schmuck. But I will say to Shiller the same thing I say to you.

You can huff and puff all you want, it doesn't change anything. Google is smashing boundaries, kicking ass and taking names and shows no signs of slowing. Apple on the other hand is stagnating and regurgitating the same crap. What are the odds the iPhone 5s is the exact same thing with a faster SOC and IOS7 that offers hardly anything over IOS6? 5, or 4 for that matter.

I do wonder that. If I were sitting on $100 billion, I would be putting alot more into R&D to put nails in teh coffins of the competition. Instead, they just sit on it and regurgitate the same thing year after year with minor improvements.

Oh, well, that is why Android caught up and then surpassed IOS. Apple had a huge lead, but now trails in form, funtion and features.

Because it wont last. At some point Apple will have to make some change to catch back up with the industry. The biggest thing that dispels the marketing myth are competing phones that are out there in people hands.

Marketing is marketing, but when people are out there and see thier friends and co-workers with better phones, with better screens and better features they tend to notice. As for the diehard faithfull that would buy anything from Apple? They arent in play anyhow. Most of the millions of iPhone users arent Tony Swash. They are just normal people that arent aware how much better the competition is.

"A politician stumbles over himself... Then they pick it out. They edit it. He runs the clip, and then he makes a funny face, and the whole audience has a Pavlovian response." -- Joe Scarborough on John Stewart over Jim Cramer